Jonathan Micallef put an end to Oban Elliott’s night at UFC 325 after he snatched a nasty rear-naked choke submission to finish the fight on Saturday in Australia.
After scoring a knockdown in the opening round, Micallef was dealing with a bit more adversity until he dragged the fight to the floor and immediately grabbed onto a rear-naked choke. Elliott did his best to break the hold or escape but Micallef just tightened his grip to secure the submission.
A split second later, Elliott fell unconscious
with the fight ending at 3:31 in the second round.
“Incredible, there’s nothing like it,” Micallef said after his win. “He surprised me on the hands. When I felt him, I’m just too big, too strong, too technical on the ground. I’d like to get active this year. Neil Magny, nothing but respect … but I’d love to punch you in the head.”
Prior to the finish, Micallef started strong with a good counter punch that clipped Elliott and put him down on the canvas briefly. But Elliott survived and forged a comeback with some solid striking combinations including a shot that opened a cut over Micaellef’s eye.
Elliott continued pressing forward and it looked like the momentum was shifting in his favor until he ended up on the ground with Micaellef on his back. While Elliott defended the submission immediately, Micallef slyly secured the choke with his hand behind the head, which made it almost impossible to break his grip.
While he didn’t tap out, Elliott went to sleep with the fight ending in the second round.
Now 2-0 in the UFC, Micaellef seems like a prospect worth watching and he’ll look to build on this latest win when he returns later in 2026.
